© Gary KronkA total lunar eclipse photographed by astronomy writer Gary Kronk on Feb. 20, 2008, from his back yard observatory near St. Louis.
Sky watchers are getting ready for an evening of special viewing when a total lunar eclipse arrives just after midnight on April 15.
What's more, this begins a rare sequence of four total lunar eclipses expected over the next two years.
Some Christians see this series of so-called blood moons as linked to a biblical prophecy of the End Times.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, Earth and moon line up so the Earth's shadow falls on the moon, darkening it.
The one on April 15 will begin at 1:20 a.m. on the East Coast, according to
Sky and Telescope magazine.
"Eclipses are one of the few astronomical events that can easily be enjoyed with the naked eye," though a pair of binoculars brings it into even greater focus, said astronomy writer Gary Kronk.
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